Effect of Gender and Crowding on Variation in Days to Market
Variation in the production chain has a large economic impact. Variation of growth due to gender and crowding during the grower-finisher phase were examined. Less crowding reduced days until market by four days. Holding gilts longer than barrows may be beneficial as barrows reached market...
Thermoregulation of the Nursery by Early Weaned Piglets Through Operant Conditioning
Growing swine health and productivity is affected by thermal environment, especially in newly weaned piglets as they require warmer temperatures. Pigs were taught how to respond to heat rewards through operant conditioning and control their thermal environment so they can select the optimal temperature. As...
The Impact of Feeder Adjustment and Group Size/Density on Weanling Pig Performance
Nursery performance is negatively affected when crowding or reduced floor space increases ear chewing, tail-biting and side-nudging. Crowing often leads to decreased feed intake. Feeder adjustment may work synergistically with adequate floor space to improve pig performance. Reduced crowding is favoured as it increases body...
Mask Use in Swine Barns Reduces Health Effects
Dust and gas exposure is common in swine barns. Workers exposed are at a higher risk of having decreases in lung function levels, developing respiratory symptoms and increases in airway reactions. To reduce exposure, workers should wear a disposable respirator while in the barn. This...
Clogging and Flow Reduction in Soil Materials by Ponded Hog Manure
An economically viable option for storing manure is using earthen manure storage. Proper construction and soil materials are crucial to avoid contamination. Soil pores can be clogged by liquid hog manure, though this clogging is a surface effect and can be easily disturbed. Properly chosen...
Influence of Hog Manure Application on Water Quality and Soil Productivity
Impacts of organic fertilizers on the environment are not known on ecosystems that are semi-arid to sub-humid. Hog manure is a source of nutrients as a fertilizer and more research should be done to understand its impact. The presence and potential pollutants in the soil,...
Particle Size Reduction and Enzyme Supplementation Reduce Nutrient Excretion
Long-term sustainability of the swine industry is impacted by nutrient management. In order to reduce the nutrients phosphorous and nitrogen being produced at operations, some strategies that can be used are particle size reduction and enzyme supplementation. To reduce phosphorous excretion, the addition of phytase...
Earthen Manure Storage Monitoring: PSC Elstow Research Farm Inc.
As the Saskatchewan hog industry grows, so does the publics environmental awareness. This has led to earthen manure storages having higher standards to uphold to. These improvements have not decreased public concern, so solute migration through the liners of different hog manure storages are being...
Evaluation and Demonstration of Deads Composting as an Option for Dead Animal Management in Saskatchewan
As the hog industry expands, new advancements must be developed to ensure it is sustainable both economically and environmentally. An option that meets this criteria is composting for on-farm disposal of dead stock. A straw/manure mix made up a test compost pile with mortalities added...
Baseline Environmental Data Collection for Research and Production Facility
Intensive livestock operations have potential environmental impacts which limit the establishment of these operations. To understand the impact that is produced, the changes in environmental conditions before and after the facility is operating must be made. Air, soil and water were sampled around the facility...